


odd bird

by interstellarbeams



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Character Death, F/M, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Historical References, Wright Brothers First Flight, Wyatt POV
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-07-23 08:13:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16155113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/interstellarbeams/pseuds/interstellarbeams
Summary: Wyatt has unexpected feelings for his time travel teammate and is not quite sure what to do about it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My entry for LyattWeek Day 1!
> 
> Day 1 -  
>  _growing feelings/declaration of love_  
>     
> I’m gonna say that this falls between 1x07 and 1x09 in canon, do with that what you will. ;) And I may decide to expand this when I have more time, maybe give the team a little mission and some more feels. 
> 
> Unbeta’d cause I was too excited to wait and wanted to make sure I posted on the day of but I want to thank Gretchen for all her help and support as we both tried to write 7 fics all at once and help each other with ideas at the same time. <3

The monotonous sputter of the engine as it flew overhead sent multiple heads shooting upwards, necks craning, to catch the magnificent flight of the world’s first airplane.

Lucy gasped as she too was swept up in the pomp and excitement of the momentous occasion. She marveled at the Wright Brothers achievement as if she had also never seen an airplane before, much less flown in a huge, modern versions of the same prototype.

Wyatt, in his houndstooth coat and newsboy cap felt like he should be teeing up at a golf course instead of following Lucy around a field in the North Carolina countryside. 

Lucy turned her head, brown curls dancing under her large Edwardian hat, and smiled up at him. The day’s festivities and historic firsts had brought a pink tinge to her cheeks and Wyatt suddenly wanted to feel that soft skin under his fingertips or maybe his lips.

Clearing his throat, at the fairly new feeling blooming within his chest, he jogged to catch up as Lucy almost dove out of his sight.

“Careful.” He grasped her arm, the soft skin underneath his hand setting his palm ablaze as he helped her up.

“Oh my gosh,” Lucy muttered, glancing around, “When will I ever not be clumsy? And in front of the Wright Brothers no less.”

“Come on, Lucy. Nobody noticed.” Wyatt tried to reassure her, barely even registering the care that he took in picking up her handbag and dusting dry grass from her long lace skirts. 

“I noticed,” Lucy muttered under her breath, accepting her bag from him and snatching up her trailing skirt so she wouldn’t trip on it again. 

“Why don’t we…” Lucy trailed off, making as if to walk one direction and then changing her mind, causing Wyatt to look foolish as he tried to follow her lead.

“Let’s go,” Wyatt finally took charge and led her closer to the edge of the clearing, hoping to not be spotted by either brothers or the five other men present. Lucy had complained that only five men had been allowed to see the first motorized flight and none of them had been reporters — _amazing that anything of importance had been recorded that day, without the press_ , she had spouted as he buckled her in to her seat in the Lifeboat. _Or a woman’s presence_ , he had assumed she meant, even though she hadn’t said it.

How they were to infiltrate the day’s event with one of their team so obviously a woman and the other a African American, had been left up to their discretion by Agent Christopher. 

A loud explosion split the still air of the early winter morning and Lucy whirled around, a look of shock crossing her face as she stared at the raining shrapnel from the exploded airplane engine.

“Shit! Lucy, watch out!” Wyatt lurched towards her, his heart in his throat as he yanked her down beside him.

“That’s not supposed to happen,” Lucy murmured under her breath, shock still prevalent on her face as he tried to shield her with his body. 

“We have to help,” Lucy lurched as if she was going to run and Wyatt grabbed her around the waist, his eyes trained on the burning pieces of plane that still filtered down from the sky. 

“We don’t know who did this...or what happened. It could be Rittenhouse! We have to keep our heads.” Wyatt grappled with Lucy who struggled to get away from him. Her fingers were so tight on his hands he could feel the sharp bite of her fingernails in the tender skin. Her body strained against his as she dug her shoes into the muddy verge beneath her heels.

“Lucy, _listen_ ,” he finally snapped and she turned her tear-filled eyes to his, “We _will_ do something but right now I have to make sure you’re safe, okay? You’re a member of my team and I will be completely chewed out by Agent Christopher if I let you get hurt because of this.”

_And I would never forgive myself if I let you get hurt when there was something I could do to prevent it_ , he thought to himself, fiercely.

“Alright?” He asked, searching her face for any sort of rebellion but she just sniffed once and nodded her acceptance.

“Alright.” He let go of her, reluctantly, his own body tense with pent up energy as he waited for her to try to run off, but she didn’t. She hadn't lied to him, his trust in her unfailing since that day in 1754 when they survived the Shawnee capture and their infiltration of Fort Duquesne.

Before he knew it she was crying, tears running down her face, her shoulders shaking. “Lucy, come on. It’s okay, we’ll fix this.” He tried to comfort her with his words, afraid to touch her once again and feel this newly terrifying, unexpected feeling clenching in his chest. _Damn it_ , he thought to himself as a sob escaped her mouth, _I’m screwed_.

He stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her. Tensing up at first — it has been so long since he comforted someone or accepted comfort from anyone — it feels strange, to have this small woman in his arms. Growing up he never received hugs, his father thought that his boy was too soft and he barely even remembered his mother who must have loved him, but he was too young to remember her touch. 

He tightened his arms, feeling Lucy tremble underneath his hands as a cold wind blew through the tree limbs, leaves rustling loudly but not loud enough to mask the crackle of flames from the explosion.

“Why didn’t you bring a coat?” Wyatt murmured, rubbing his hands up and down Lucy’s arms, goosebumps prickling her skin. Lucy hiccuped, “I don’t know. I got too excited, I guess and forgot the flight was in December.” 

Wyatt shook his head in disbelief, but briskly shucked his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders, before pulling her into his chest once again.

“You’re an odd bird, Professor,” He teased, wiping the tears from  
her face with his thumb.

“Why? Because I care about history and what happens to the people in it.” Lucy lifted her chin, piercing him with a fiery glare.

“No,” Wyatt chuckled, shaking his head.

“Then what…” Lucy trailed off, staring up into his eyes, blue eyes locked on brown and she blushed.

“I’m just here to make sure you stay over the hump, ma’am,” Wyatt smirked, miming a tipping of his hat.

“Let’s go find Rufus,” Lucy replied, rather abruptly, pulling her gaze from his and bending over as if to check over her skirt.

Wyatt noticed a few singed spots where ashes had fallen on the fabric but nothing to cause her to pay such close attention to  
it.

He must have embarrassed her, which he hadn’t really meant to do. She was just so different from the women he had known back in Texas. She was take charge, sure like a lot of those women, but she had a big heart and cared for a lot of people, sometimes even for people she didn’t even know, like the Wright Brothers — empathy was something he hadn’t had much of in his life and she exuded it unlike anyone he had ever met.

Wyatt realized, he was falling for Lucy, what other reason would he have to all of a sudden want to kiss her and jump out of his skin at the thought of her being hurt.

Wyatt snatched up Lucy’s purse as she walked off in the wrong direction to go off and look for Rufus, shaking his head at the rashiness of the woman he was coming to love.

He had no idea what he was going to do about it but for now he needed to focus on the mission, anything else — even issues of the heart — would have to wait.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks go out to Lizzie for her encouragement and punctuation marks! lol I don’t know where I would be without you! 
> 
> Now we’re getting into the mission with some feels thrown in! (Quick reminder: this fic fits into canon after 1x07 but before 1x09) Enjoy! <3

The open field was eerily quiet until the boom of the explosion split the peaceful morning. For a moment all of nature seemed in shock, like a breath taken and held before a dive into open water, but was then filled with the chattering of squirrels, the calling of birds and the shouts of panicked men.

Wyatt and Lucy walked toward the site of the plane crash and the chaos that had erupted. Lucy was ahead of Wyatt, leading the way like a woman on a mission, which she technically was. 

Despite her stature, feminine wardrobe and her liberal knowledge of history, not emergency situations, she headed into the fray like a 20th century Florence Nightingale. 

That image remained in Wyatt’s mind’s eye for a few moments, before Lucy reverted back to her clumsy self and almost ran smack into a man with a water bucket who was trying to help put out the engine fire. Wyatt could have told him he was wasting his time, water wasn’t going to work on a oil based fire, dirt would be better but he was distracted by Lucy’s shriek as the ice cold water drenched her and streamed down the front of her pale dress. 

Wyatt bent to snatch up his jacket that had still been around her shoulders and slipped off when she jumped back from the near collision. He settled his jacket back on her shoulders, while she stood there chilled to the bone and now shivering, then wrapped a steadying arm around her waist as he steered her away from the burning wreckage.

“I’m sorry— to be— so much trouble,” Lucy tried apologizing, through chattering teeth.

“Not a problem, ma’am,” Wyatt smiled, as he stopped them at a safe distance from the flames and stinking, black smoke. He turned Lucy around and helped her put her arms through the jacket sleeves, pulling it closed around her. He hoped that warming her core with his plaid, wool jacket would do the trick while they searched for some new clothes for her to change into. 

Ignoring a flash of memory — of their first mission together, when she had removed her blouse to give him her underwire bra and he had glimpsed her bare back — he set about finding her something new to wear, preferably pants that she was least likely to trip over. 

Wyatt remembered seeing a small, town nearby where they had left the Lifeboat and he led them in that direction as he tried to ignore the chill that he felt from the biting winter wind. 

“Where are we going?” Lucy asked. She held onto her hat as they headed into the wind.

“Just over there,” Wyatt pointed to the small, white steepled church that could been seen through the trees as they walked up a slight hill.

“Oh,” Lucy bit her lip and Wyatt knew she was about to say something but she didn’t quite know how to put it.

“Wyatt?” 

He glanced toward her, as he offered a hand to help her over a rocky patch of ground, the smallness of her hand felt like a perfect fit in his larger one.

“ _Hmm?_ ” He hummed a question, trying to ignore the disappointment he felt when he let go of her hand after the ground leveled back out. They were on a mission, they still didn’t know where Rufus had gotten to, Lucy needed new clothes before she turned into a human popsicle and here he was being concerned about not being able to hold her hand longer. _What was wrong with him?_

“I just, wanted to thank you — sometimes I just go barreling into things and I don’t think of the consequences,” Lucy admitted, as she tucked one hand beneath her arm, “Thanks for reining me in, I guess I should say.”

“I would do it for any member of my team,” Wyatt shrugged, afraid to take it as a compliment in case she hadn’t meant it that way, “I’ll always have your back, Lucy.”

Lucy nodded, stuffing her hands in the jacket’s flap pockets as the wind picked up again. 

Wyatt eyed the low cloud cover above their heads. He had never been in a snowstorm before, having grown up in Texas, where snow only occasionally happened but when it did, it didn’t stick. The clouds above their heads and the steady drop in temperature convinced him that they might actually see some before the day was out. 

They finally made it to the town, after a ten minute walk, and Wyatt led them back behind the church hoping that they wouldn’t be spotted — he knew from experience that people in small towns were always wary of strangers — they needed to get back to the field as quickly as possible and find Rufus. 

The white church was surrounded by a few private homes who’s lanes all led down to a main street that had a strip of your normal businesses of the time — post office, mercantile complete with feed & seed store and a laundry. 

“Perfect,” Wyatt muttered under his breath, as he walked around the side of the laundry and headed toward the back of the business. Sure enough, there were a few lines of clothes drying in the breeze. Walking back to the side of the building he motioned an obviously out of place Lucy to follow him. 

“Here, maybe something will do from here. I just hope,” Wyatt rubbed a few of the shirts between his fingers, “yep, we’re good.”

Lucy looked at him oddly, as she stepped closer to peruse the clothesline.

“I was checking to see if they were dry,” He shrugged his shoulders, he wasn’t going to apologize. He thought it was a legitimate concern, “At least they won’t be freezing cold when you put them on.”

“Oh,” Lucy turned after feeling a few of the men’s shirts and holding them up to her to determine whether they would fit her, “I didn’t even think of that. I knew I kept you around for a reason.” 

Wyatt shook his head, at her teasing, lifting his eyes to look back at her, he immediately turned away. She had removed the jacket and her dress was very clearly plastered against her. He felt a blush rising to his cheeks as he glanced around, acting like he was concerned about them being found absconding with the wash, when he really was trying to rid himself of the mental image of her womanly figure. 

He felt something land on his foot and he glanced down to see Lucy’s dress laying there in the dry winter grass. He swallowed dryly when he realized that Lucy was practically naked behind him. Wyatt had figured that Lucy would want to find somewhere private to change but apparently that wasn’t the case. 

“Lucy, what are you doing?” 

“Undressing. What do you think I’m doing?”

Wyatt tipped his head back in exasperation. He pressed his fingers hard into his eye sockets so all he saw was blackness interspersed with bright spangles of light instead of the mental image of Lucy that was trying to worm its way in.

“I know that.” Wyatt bit out, tersely, “Why are you doing it out _here_?”

“Where else is available, Wyatt? I’m not going to wait till we get back to the Lifeboat, that’s for sure.”

“I didn’t realize you were so… _brazen_ , Lucy Preston.”

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about _me_ , Wyatt Logan.” Lucy replied, saucily. 

Wyatt could almost see her toss her head, her dark curls bouncing, when she answered back, she was so sassy about it. 

“Do you think I should keep this to bring back to Mason? Will Connor make me pay for it, if I ruined it?” Lucy asked, as she walked into his field of vision. Wyatt felt his shoulders relax as he looked her over, her high heeled shoes looked incongruous paired with men’s pants and a slightly-too-large-for-her shirt with the sleeves rolled to her wrists, but it would have to do. 

Lucy held out his jacket, one finger looped like a hook under the collar, the dress draped over her arm, “Oh, uh— no, you keep it.”

“Aren’t you cold?” Lucy asked, as she settled one fist against her hip, almost in a challenging stance.

Wyatt wanted to say yes, but if she needed it more he would be willing to sacrifice his comfort for hers… _where the hell did that come from?_

Wyatt took it from her, feeling instantaneous regret when she turned around to walk back the way they had come. _Stupid, you could have just been chivalrous and let her keep the jacket_ , Wyatt thought to himself, _feelings have nothing to do with it. Right?_

They walked through the middle of the small town and back up the track to the white church, the smoke from the explosion black against the grey-white backdrop of low banked clouds as they grew closer to the clearing where the wreck had taken place. Wyatt glanced toward where they had stashed the Lifeboat, grateful for the cloudy day so at least their time machine was well hidden from view. 

They walked along side by side, Wyatt still holding the jacket clutched in his hand, now unwilling to use it for his own personal benefit because he had been so selfish not to let Lucy continue wearing it. He berated himself almost the whole way back before he made himself stop and hand Lucy the jacket back.

“What—? Wyatt, _no_ , you keep it,” She tried to do the noble thing and give it back to him but Wyatt could see the attempt she was making to keep her teeth from chattering again and he would kick himself if Lucy came back, to their time, sick on his account.

“No, really, I can take it and you’re shivering,” Wyatt held it out and Lucy took it reluctantly, a small frown in between her eyebrows as she fingered the coarse fabric.

“Thank you.” She smiled up at him, a dimple appearing in one cheek as she slung it over and around her shoulders so she could put it on.

“You’re welcome,” Wyatt turned, his feet slipping against the damp, dead leaves underfoot. Lucy reached for him and Wyatt almost pushed her away, afraid that she too would slip and fall trying to help him keep his feet and she had already had two “accidents” that day. No need to experience another one on his account, but thankfully he found his footing. 

Lucy’s hand rested against his shoulder, her fingers slightly curved for a better grip, while Wyatt had somehow managed to grab onto her waist — _how?_ He wasn’t sure because he didn’t remember doing it. 

He apologized, softly. He wasn’t embarrassed, more surprised really. When had his heart and mind decided that Lucy was his anchor. He was confused and a little perplexed, _he still loved Jessica, didn’t he?_ She was gone but she still held a hold of his heart and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to give her up just yet.

When and how, had Lucy become so important to him, so integral to his everyday life. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure on that either but it was sometime in the last few months when he had come to trust her to have his back, revealed his deepest, darkest secrets and trusted her with his life… why not with his heart?

“Let’s find Rufus,” he turned from her, abruptly and started toward the clearing, ignoring Lucy’s face that dropped in disappointment as he walked away. 

Lucy caught up to him as they came to the edge of the clearing, the chaos of earlier in the morning now calmed. 

“Guys!” Rufus came running up, sweat glistening on his forehead like it was the warmest of summer days instead of a overcast winter day.

“Where have you been?” He started rambling, immediately, “I couldn’t find you! I went back to the Lifeboat per the emergency protocol and you weren’t there so then I can back here thinking you might have gotten trapped under the wreckage or something. You had me worried sick!”

“We’re sorry, Rufus,” Lucy piped up, going up on tiptoe and wrapping a arm around his neck in a hasty hug. 

“Yeah,” Wyatt added, “sorry we didn’t follow the protocol, we got a little distracted.”

“What happened to _you_?” Rufus asked, glancing over Lucy’s new outfit, as she stepped back from him.

“I had a mishap with a water bucket,” Lucy explained, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Wyatt glanced over at her, a teasing grin replacing his seriousness of earlier, “You know our Lucy, always making a splash.”

Rufus laughed, his whole face brightening with the force of his grin while Lucy rolled her eyes. Wyatt smiled at the both of them, finally sobering when he caught another glimpse of the wreckage that had been mostly extinguished. A breeze blew through igniting a few stubborn flames every once and awhile, as the few observers stood around, the celebratory atmosphere of earlier that day dispersed like leaves in the wind.

“Do you know how it happened?” Wyatt turned toward Rufus, crossing his arms in a ‘no nonsense’ way.

“Huh?” Rufus was pulled out of his thoughts, “Oh, I’m not sure, I would probably have to check out the engine… what there is left of it.”

Wyatt glanced at Lucy, who’s expression had dropped at the mention of the explosion that had ended America’s first air flight. Wyatt could imagine her thoughts of the moment — how air travel would now be impacted in the future. Lucy would want to do anything she could to help make this historic moment right, but Wyatt wasn’t sure if they could do anything to help.

“Those poor Wright brothers,” Lucy hung her head, pressing her hands over her eyes, her voice quavering with tears. 

“Wait, you think they both died?” Rufus turned a disbelieving gaze on Lucy, who lifted her head to stare at him quizzically.

“Orville, well _he_ didn’t make it but Wilbur… well, he fractured his leg pretty badly when he fell from the plane but he should be fine once his leg heals up.”

Lucy jumped and wrapped her arms around Rufus’s neck in a giant bear hug, a relieved laugh escaping her lips. She pulled back from a surprised Rufus, tucking a curl behind her ear that had fallen from her chignon. 

“It’s still horrible, what happened, but maybe we can help in some way… to get the first flight back up and running.” Lucy looked between Wyatt and Rufus with familiar expectancy that Wyatt had come to know very well over the last few months. She wanted options, she wanted answers, she wanted a plan mapped out and formalized. 

Wyatt rubbed a hand across his chin, “Well, Rufus— You have an engineering degree right?” 

“I am an engineer so yeah,” Rufus deadpanned. Wyatt gave him a ‘be serious’ look but let it slide. 

“Do you think you could help rebuild an engine for the Wright— for Wilbur Wright to fly?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never worked on an airplane before but I guess the Lifeboat does sort of fly — through time — but I’m willing to try it if I can actually help save flight and do something positive for once.”

“I would hate to go back to our modern time without airplanes… man, would trade be screwed and travel… pretty much everything would be screwed without airplanes and helicopters. Even our military could be completely different…”

“World War II had the whole of the civilized world on a knife’s edge, with the German Luftwaffe striking against London and most of Europe until the United States created the aircraft that could take them down.”

“Oh yeah, the P-51 Mustang was an incredible aircraft,” Wyatt added, shoving his hands into his pockets, “it was the first single engine plane to penetrate Germany.”

“The Truman Senate War Investigating Committee called it, ‘the most aerodynamically perfect pursuit plane in existence,’ they were even used as late as 1984 in the Dominican Air Force,” Lucy continued.

Rufus stared at them, his eyes glazed over, “If you’re both done boring me to death, I think we should get over to the boarding house, that’s where Wilbur is staying while he heals. “ 

Lucy nodded her head in agreement, as she turned to Wyatt and asked: “What can we do to help? I’m certainly not a engineer.”

————

“I hope you don’t expect me to do _nothing_ , Wyatt Logan,” Lucy crossed her arms as she stared him down.

“Of course I don’t expect you to do nothing, you can be the lookout,” Wyatt glanced around, glad to see that the blustering wind and bone chilling December day had kept most of the small town’s residents indoors. 

Lucy looked even more offended that he expected her to be the lookout when she had the most historical knowledge out of the three of them. 

“Look, Lucy, I know you’re smart and I know that you’re up to many challenges but right now, this is all I have.”

Lucy’s frown stayed in place, and Wyatt was at a loss… deciding that now was probably the best time to have this conversation and not later when Lucy would be even more pissed, he drew her to the side, his hand grasping her small elbow, “We _need_ you on this team even if you feel like your talent is wasted on being the lookout.”

“Would you guys move it, we don’t have all day.” Rufus stuck his head out of the boarding house door, the fading sunshine lighting the stained glass of the Victorian transom window above the door.

“I’ll be right there, Rufus,” Wyatt turned, watching Rufus as he sighed, before heading back inside and closing the heavy wooden door behind him. 

“Once we decide how best to get Wilbur to let us help, I’ll let you take the lead, but for right now I need you for this job, okay?”

Lucy turned her head to the side, considering, he hoped, before she sighed in defeat and turned towards the street. 

Wyatt suddenly felt the urge to kiss her on the cheek, and he did, pressing a hand to her shoulder as he bent to press his lips to her chilled skin. She turned her head back to his, her mouth hanging open in shock but Wyatt realized, suddenly, that he was afraid to hear what she might say to him about it so he beat a hasty retreat, went inside the boarding house and quickly closed the door.

_The coward’s way out, really?_ Wyatt thought to himself, as he walked upstairs and toward the bedroom he could hear Rufus’s voice emanating from. 

Stepping over the threshold, the wood floors creaking after every step, Wyatt removed his hat and came face to face with Wilbur Wright. 

He had a receding hairline, his forehead was scraped and mottled with bruises, while blood crusted under his eye from a cut that had probably bled a lot if the large stain on his shirt collar was anything to go by. The doctor had been and gone according to Rufus but the maid that hovered by the door had held off giving him the morphine prescribed by the doctor so that Rufus and Wyatt could talk to him while he was still lucid.

“Where’s Lucy?” Rufus asked, as he came to hover over Wyatt, like a overly concerned mother hen. 

“She’s being our lookout,” Wyatt stated succinctly, as he held his hat between his hands.

“Our professor and prized historian is being the lookout?” Rufus chuckled, “How did you manage to convince her of that?”

“Just forget about that for a minute, Rufus. I’m sure Mr. Wright would prefer his pain medication sooner rather than later.”

“ _Shit_ , you’re right.” Rufus hurried over to the man’s bedside to sit in the straight-back chair that rested against the wall and left Wyatt to stand next to the bed.

“Hello, Mr. Wright, I’m Wyatt Logan. I was so sorry to hear about your brother, Orville. Our condolences,” Wyatt nodded his head towards Rufus.

“Thank you, _sir_ , although I don’t think we’ve met before,” Wilbur groaned as he tried to shift his weight to get more comfortable.

Wyatt looked away, towards the wall above the bed where a framed needlepoint of _The Lord’s Prayer_ hung, unwilling to make the other man uncomfortable by staring when he was vulnerable. 

“How do you know me?” Wilbur looked between Rufus and Wyatt. They looked at each other, matching looks of surprise graced their features with mouths hanging open. No matter how often they did this, the questions were always where they got tripped up. 

“Nevermind who we are,”  
Rufus said, shrugging when Wyatt glared at him, “We want to help you get your air— your, _your_ flying machine’s engine back to working. We have experience and we would really love to be able to help you get it up and running.”

“I don’t know, I don’t think i’ll be getting out of this bed anytime soon.”

“That’s okay. We already talked to your landlord and he agreed that we could come and go, to ask you questions and work with you, _from your bed_.”

“Is that so?” He eyed them warily and Wyatt put on his best _trust me I know what i’m doing_ face.

“Can I ask you and your friend to come back tomorrow? I can’t think right now, the pain in my leg is intense, and the loss of my brother and our dream, even moreso.”

“Of course,” Rufus stood up abruptly, sending his chair against the chair rail with a raucous clatter, in his haste. 

“Thank you,” Wilbur’s voice faded on a groan of pain as he closed his eyes tightly and the maid rushed over. 

Wyatt nodded his head, politely, to the maid and motioned Rufus to follow him as they retreated to the hall and closed the door.

“Did you really talk to the landlord?” Rufus asked as they descended the stairs and made their way to the door.

“Of course not. I just hope he doesn’t figure out how phony we are too soon, because if he does he will boot our asses so fast.” 

“ _Oh_ , quick thinking!” Rufus exclaimed, as he opened the front door and stepped out into the small yard.

“It’s about time,” Lucy whispered, harshly, “I’m about to freeze my butt off. What did Wilbur say?” 

Wyatt jerked in surprise when Lucy stepped closer, after a moment, and snuggled up to him. He stood for a moment in shock before he lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. Her body shook with shivers and Wyatt rubbed his other hand up and down her arm.

Wyatt was trying not to thinking about how easily she had clung to him. She could have latched onto Rufus just as quickly but she chose him. He _really_ didn’t want to read too much into that.

Coworkers touched each other, right? Granted, with their job, the usual workplace rule book had been thrown out the proverbial window, of the Lifeboat, on their way through space and time so he really had no clue what was and wasn’t frowned upon. 

Rufus eyed then curiously but didn’t say anything as they started to walk the track down to the main road. Wyatt walked slower than he normally would because of Lucy being huddled up against him. It reminded him of the three legged races that he would play with friends back in Texas on the Fourth of July except that their legs weren’t tied together.

“Don’t let me fall,” Lucy said, as she walked the steep track next to him, “I can barely see two feet in front of me and I’m wearing these hateful heels.”

“I won’t. I got you.” Wyatt replied, as he moved his arm from around her shoulders to her waist.

“Man, I always forget how quickly it gets dark in winter,” Rufus stumbled, and swore as he straightened back up, “How do you even know where we are going, Wyatt?” 

“It’s my business to know,” Wyatt replied, succinctly, as he gripped Lucy tighter when she almost tripped on the same patch of uneven dirt and rocks. 

“What kind of bullshit is that?”

“Rufus, you’ve clearly never been an outdoorsy person. I have experience. That’s how I know.” 

Rufus scoffed but dropped back to walk behind them once they made it to the main street. 

The glow emanating from the windows of the saloon was their only light, the other establishments having closed as soon as the day’s light was gone, as they continue their walk to the Lifeboat that rested in the nearby woods. 

Even with Wyatt’s jacket on and her body basically plastered to his, Lucy shivered as they continued to walk.

“Are you okay?” Wyatt asked, as they made their way around a tree and headed deeper into the even darker treeline.

“I’m ff-fine,” Lucy said through chattering teeth.

“When we get back home I’m putting you on a protein packed diet. You wouldn’t be so cold if you had some meat on these bones,” Wyatt squeezed Lucy’s waist where his hand rested to signify he was teasing. 

“Whatever, if ice cream and potato chips don’t work, I don’t know how you think a few pounds of bland chicken will do.” 

Wyatt laughed, “I don’t know. I’ve known bland chicken to do wonders.”

“Are you talking about me, up there? I can’t hear anything over the crunch of these leaves.”

“No, Rufus we weren’t talking about you,” Lucy called back. Despite the darkness, she turned her head like she would be able to see him following them. 

“Well, good,” Rufus stopped to stand next to them as they came upon the Lifeboat in a small clearing, well, small enough to fit the Lifeboat and about six feet of turf covered in fallen leaves, “How I managed to land this monstrosity in this tiny clearing, I’ll never know. I’m just glad I won’t have to explain anymore scratches or _bullet holes_ to Homeland Security.” 

“I’m crossing my fingers for you, Rufus.” Lucy added as she walked over to the Lifeboat and rested against the outer ring.

“Bad idea,” she jumped up, before her bottom barely touched it, “that thing is freezing.”

Wyatt shook his head as he rummaged around inside the Lifeboat. 

“What are you crossing your fingers about?” Rufus asked, as he watched Wyatt from the opening of the cockpit. 

“That we don’t have to experience any guns being fired at us this trip,” Lucy elucidated.

“Seems like a long shot. When are guns not being fired at us, _Wyatt_?” 

“Uhh…” Wyatt climbed out of the Lifeboat, a pile of blankets tucked under his arm  
as he descended, holding onto the door with one hand to keep his balance before he jumped down.

“ _Exactly_.” 

“Rufus could you do me a favor and go get some tree limbs, small ones, no thicker than Lucy’s wrist and no more than two foot long?” Wyatt asked as he passed one of the blankets to Lucy who stood in one spot, her arms wrapped around herself tightly as she tried to keep herself from trembling.

Rufus nodded, “If I get lost, you better come and find me. I don’t care if we have to play _Marco Polo_ throughout the whole of the North Carolina woods.”

“ _Yes_ , Rufus, I will come find you if you get lost,” Wyatt rolled his eyes as he turned back to Lucy and helped her wrap the blanket around her shoulders. 

“I’m sorry to be so much trouble,” Lucy said again, as he picked up her hands and chafed them between his own. 

“How are your hands so warm?” Lucy asked, in astonishment, as Wyatt continued to try and warm her hands between his.

“I don’t know. Just lucky, I guess.” Wyatt looked down at her. He couldn’t really see her in the darkness but he could hear her breaths shuddering out of her and feel the warmth puff against his cheek as he bent over her hands.

“Rufus will be back soon with some firewood and then we can start a fire, sound good?” 

“It sounds amazing,” Lucy added, pulling her hands away from his grip and wrapping them up in the blanket ends to tuck under her arms.

Wyatt felt a faint twinge of disappointment, even when her fingers felt like ice cubes in his, he didn’t want to let go. He wasn’t entirely sure when that had happened. Their last trip to Fort Duquesne in Philadelphia had been a veritable disaster and he had barely been able to see past his anger at them both for breaking his trust. Maybe their miraculous survival had awakened his feelings, he wasn’t quite sure how but suddenly, there they were and he had to decide what to do about them. 

“I think I’ll stay right here,” Lucy added as Wyatt walked off to scrub out a spot in the grass to build their fire without running the risk of setting the whole forest alight. 

“That’s probably a good idea,” Wyatt teased as he rubbed his shoe over and over the same spot so that the grass would break free and he could get to the dirt that he knew lay under the layer of leaves and the crop of grass. 

“Hey, I can’t help it I’m clumsy,” Lucy huffed.

The crackle of leaves got louder as Rufus came into the clearing with a pile of small limbs and twigs in his arms. 

“Thankfully a tree had fallen about two feet away so I didn’t have to go too far. I could still hear your voices and followed them back. No _Marco Polo_ this time.”

“I hope we never have to use that method unless we are at a pool party in our time. People will think we’re a bunch of delinquents who need to be locked up in the nuthouse.” 

“We _definitely_ don’t want that,” Lucy shuddered but Wyatt couldn’t tell if it was from the cold or their topic of conversation, “Psych wards in this time period and before the turn of the century were basically glorified prisons.” 

“I’ve had enough of prisons after our first trip. Those policemen were about to beat the living daylights out of me. Thanks for that by the way,” Rufus turned to Wyatt, after he finished dropping the wood on the spot where Wyatt directed him.

“Hey, we got out of that situation and more dangerous ones with the team intact. Plus, I would never let anyone hurt either of you, if I could help it.” 

Wyatt’s gaze came to rest on the dark form of Lucy where she crouched on the ground. He hated to admit it but he actually was more concerned for their lives that he was for his own when they got into dangerous situations. He wasn’t lying when he said that he would keep them from being hurt, even if it took him sacrificing his own life, he would do it if it kept them safe. If it kept _her_ safe. 

Wyatt brought his attention back to building the fire. He removed his tinder bundle from their emergency fire building kit and started setting the limbs on top of it in a teepee structure, putting the smallest branches inside and building outward with the larger pieces. He left an opening for the flame to catch, making sure it was pointed away from the direction the wind was blowing so he wouldn’t lose his flame once he got it to catch. Then he removed the flint and steel and struck the flint against the piece of metal to create a spark which thankfully ignited his tinder and didn’t go out as he added small twigs and dry leaves to it. He continued the process until the branches inside his teepee of wood had caught fire and he was rewarded for his efforts.

Once the flames started flickering and he could hear the crackle and pop of the wood starting to ignite, he sat back on his heels but kept a careful watch in case it went out. He didn’t have to worry though, because it caught and soon they had a warm, roaring fire. 

Rufus sat down close and pulled his long coat around him, holding his hands up to the flames to warm them.

Lucy stood up and came closer, her feet barely making any noise as she shuffled over and sat down in between Rufus and where Wyatt still crouched. 

“I’m so glad heaters are already invented in our time. I don’t know what I would do without my space heater in winter.”

“You have a space heater in San Francisco?” Rufus stared at Lucy like she had just said that she enjoyed streaking through the streets of San Francisco. Not a mental image that Wyatt needed to bring to mind. 

“Of course. There’s nothing wrong with that.” Lucy looked offended, her eyebrows pulled down and her mouth gaping open.

“I think I should have been informed of this before we started taking the trips where we have to share sleeping quarters, cause I am not volunteering to be your portable space heater. I just asked Jiya out on another date and if she finds out that I’ve been sleeping next to you, _well_ , actually I don’t know what she would do but I don’t want to have to try and explain it to her.” Rufus rambled as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Jiya is a grown woman, Rufus, I think she would understand.” 

Rufus shook his head violently, like Lucy had just asked him to actually sleep with her, which was something that Wyatt also didn’t want to think about. 

“Alright, we get it, Rufus. Leave Lucy alone.” Wyatt stood up and then sat as close as he could get to Lucy and wrapped his arms around her. 

Surprisingly she didn’t tense up like he had expected her to. Not only did she not mind clinging to him when she was cold, she didn’t mind him doing the same, which was sort of a relief because things were already awkward enough as it was.

He struggled to keep his thoughts in check, as he snuggled up to her. He was determined to not feel anything toward her despite the conclusion that he had come to that morning — that he had started to care for her and might even love her — the only reason he was doing it was because she was a member of his team and he couldn’t have her getting frostbite on his watch, he would do the same for any of his teammates on his Delta Force team, _right_? 

The faint floral scent, that he had already come to recognize as singularly _hers_ , was masked by the smokey campfire and the stronger scent of lye soap from her pilfered wardrobe but it clung to her hair and he caught a whiff of it as she moved her head to glance up at him.

“See, there you go… Wyatt will be your personal space heater and I won’t have to lie to Jiya about being with other women.” Rufus stated, rather insensitively. 

Wyatt glared at Rufus over Lucy’s head, which Rufus responded to with a mouthed _what_? You know what, Wyatt wanted to say but he didn’t, instead turning his gaze back to the campfire.

No, he would not think about how much warmer he felt with her body pressed up against his, he would definitely not think about the length of her leg underneath her stolen pants and how snuggly it fit up against his own. _Nope, he would not do it_ , he thought, but he knew he was lying to himself. What hot blooded male would be able to control such thoughts. 

Wyatt was suddenly afraid of what the night would bring if he had to sleep as close to her as he was sitting next to her now… _oh boy_.

Lucy finally spoke, “What did Wilbur say?” 

She looked to Rufus, who lifted his head from his arms, where they were crossed on top of his legs.

“Oh, not much, he was still reeling from his accident and his brother’s death. He told us to come back tomorrow.” 

“What was he like?” Lucy turned her head, to ask Wyatt.

Wyatt shook his head, unsurprised that Lucy wanted to know how a historical figure acted or even looked, she was eager for knowledge and ready to soak it up like a sponge.

“He seemed like any ordinary person to me, but I only spoke to him for a few minutes. What did you think of him, Rufus? You spoke with him longer.” 

“I don’t know. At first he was in so much pain, he wasn’t really all there, I don’t think. He kept calling for his brother, Orville, and mumbling a bunch of nonsense.”

“You two are a wealth of information.” Lucy sighed, tilting her head to rest it against Wyatt’s shoulder. 

“You’ll find out tomorrow when we got back to the boarding house. Right now I think it’s best if we turn in.” 

Rufus sighed gratefully as he laid down and pulled his blanket around him with hardly a complaint which was unusual since he usually complained about the weird noises, the roots underneath his sleeping spot and various other things before falling asleep. He must have had a trying day… first the explosion and then not being able to find his teammates, anyone would be exhausted after that.

Wyatt and Lucy stayed where they were for a moment, both not really sure how to approach this new situation where they would be sleeping next to each other for the first time in well, _ever_. 

Wyatt cleared his throat, “I, uh— I’m sorry about all of this.” 

“I think I will be able to deal, Wyatt Logan. Sleeping next to you won’t be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

Wyatt blanched. He was sure that she hadn’t meant it the way it had come out but suddenly his thoughts went way past sleeping and on to _other_ things, he had to push it down hard in order to focus on what she was saying. 

“I think I’m mature enough to lie next to you without breaking into giggles like a giddy teenager,” Lucy added, as she shifted away from him.

“Yes ma’am.” Wyatt teased and she glared at him, her cheekbones lit by the light coming from the campfire.

“Where’s that other blanket?” She asked, as she bent back down to spread the blanket out over the ground, close enough to feel the warmth of the fire but not so close that the blanket might catch fire. 

No matter what he thought about Rufus and Lucy as adventurers or outdoorsman, Lucy hardly ever uttered a complaint and he admired that about her. No matter where they ended up, what the bathroom facilities were like or where she had to sleep, she accepted it with great aplomb and set about making the most of it.

Wyatt retrieved the third blanket from the Lifeboat and handed it to her. Despite her confidence over her maturity, she faltered before she knelt and then laid down on the hard ground. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t also nervous about laying so close to her but he swallowed quickly before he did the same, trying to ignore the hardness of the winter ground against his back in favor of her softness next to him.

Lucy handed him the edge of the blanket and he leaned up on one elbow to help her spread it over their legs, the intimacy of the moment not lost on him as he laid back down.

“Is that your gun or are you happy to see me?” Lucy asked and Wyatt felt his ears burn.

“Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry about that,” Wyatt removed his gun from it’s holster and laid it down beside him on the blanket, within arm’s reach. The night would probably be damp, if not from rain then from frost, and he didn’t want his gun to jam when he might need it sometime soon. 

The wind blew through the trees above their heads and tried to send their blanket blowing away but Wyatt grabbed at it and anchored it with his arm on top. The edge blew up again from another gust of wind and Wyatt reached over to tuck it underneath Lucy’s shoulder, before he realized it. Drawing back, with one hand still resting on her shoulder, he caught her eyes in the faint light coming from the flames. 

Her eyes softened or was that a trick of the light, was he fooling himself into thinking she felt something for him too? That was what he thought, until she lifted her hand to wrap it around his wrist, that he supported his body weight with, the softness of her palm warm against the exposed skin between his glove and his sleeve.

Wyatt rubbed his thumb across her shoulder, afraid to breathe more than he had to and break the spell that they were under in the firelight. He didn’t know how long they would have stayed locked in that tableau, connected to each other by the weight and warmth of each other’s hands, if not for Rufus who snorted and rolled over and shattered the moment. 

Wyatt dropped down to lay next to Lucy so quickly, that he felt embarrassed for reacting like he was ashamed to be caught with her. They hadn’t been doing anything wrong and now he was afraid he had hurt her feelings.

The crackle of the flames and the hooting of owls above them were the only sounds, they were too far from the town to hear dogs barking or babies crying. Wyatt stared up at the trees, the bare tree limbs stretching across the open sky like clawing fingers, adding a strange feeling of foreboding to Wyatt’s mood. He tried to push it away but the feeling continued, exacerbated by the darkness. Rittenhouse was probably out there, somewhere, they may have even been the ones to sabotage the Wright Brothers plane and caused the crash that took Orville’s life and Flynn, he was out there somewhere too, causing havoc and creating more problems for them to fix.

Lucy sighed suddenly, pulling him from his dark thoughts and back to the present moment. Relief flooded through him at the distraction and he welcomed it with open arms.

“Can’t sleep?” Wyatt asked, as he shifted to lay on his side to face her.

“No, I would usually count sheep or the stars, but with this cold front, they aren’t visible.”

“The stars, huh? I guess there are enough on a clear night to put you to sleep, I don’t think I could even count high enough to calm my thoughts though.”

Lucy scoffed, “In no way are you dumb, Wyatt Logan.” 

“Are you telling me that you don’t believe in my tough, _only about the mission_ , dumb soldier exterior?”

“Nope, I don’t believe it. You speak four languages for goodness sake,” Lucy huffed out a laugh that ended on a sigh.

“It’s hard to believe, at least for me, that I ended up here after how I grew up. I was a piss poor student and I didn’t have much ambition… I figured I would end up like my father, stuck in a small town with nothing to look forward to except a beer every night after a double shift at the canning factory. That is, until my Grandpa Sherwin got ahold of me and showed me how to really be a man. Needless to say, I graduated, not at the top of my class, but I graduated. Decided to enlist on the advice of my grandpa, continued my education and the rest is history, I guess.” 

“Don’t you think we’ve used enough time travel puns?” 

“Well, excuse me, ma’am, that one was unintentional.” 

Lucy’s face lit with a smile and Wyatt couldn’t help but smile back, the awkwardness of the earlier moment leeching away as they relaxed in each other’s company.

“I was a superb student but I don’t think it was only my brain that made me that way but my mother. She was always pushing me to be the best, constantly. I guess that’s why I almost rebelled in my sophomore year of college. Being in a band just sounded so much more freeing that another 4 or more years of classes, exams and essays but after my accident… I didn’t want freedom anymore, routines kept me from being afraid even if my life was never very exciting.”

“ _But…?_ ” 

“But then I started doing this _job_ or whatever you want to call it and all of those routines went out the window.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely a different animal all together.” 

“Different animal? More like an alien species from another planet.” Lucy laughed and Wyatt joined in, their voices hushed in the quiet of the night. 

“Are you still cold?” Wyatt asked, when he felt a shiver run through Lucy, after the wind blew through the trees again, the limbs creaking and cracking as they broke from the strength of the gale.

“No, no, I’m good,” Lucy tried to protest as Wyatt folded an arm across her stomach and behind her neck and pulled her close against him.

“Sorry ma’am, but I’d rather not wake up next to a icicle tomorrow morning.” Wyatt teased, as Lucy’s hair tickled against his nose and tempted him with it’s floral smell. 

“You’re lucky it’s this cold out here or you would be on the receiving end of a kick from these heels.” 

“ _Oh_ , it’s like that is it?” Wyatt chuckled, as he pulled the blanket back up over his shoulder and tucked it back under Lucy’s, before he wrapped his arm back around her, successfully encasing them in a cocoon of body heat.

“Yes, it’s like that. Now be quiet so I can get some sleep.”

“Yes ma’am.” Wyatt closed his eyes, the campfire’s warmth and Lucy’s closeness finally dragging him under as he dropped off into a deep, exhausted sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank Gretchen and Lizzie as always for helping me get my thoughts together, reading over certain parts when I had a question and in general being my support system. Love y’all!
> 
> Here comes the plot! I hope y’all enjoy and I promise to continue writing this as long as there is a story to tell and/or until it’s finished. Comments and kudos are appreciated! <3

A quiet rustle close to his head woke Wyatt up and he jerked upright, well as close as he could to upright with his arm pinned underneath Lucy’s warm, sleepy weight. He sighed in relief when the only sight to greet him was a gray squirrel digging its way through dead leaves to find it’s buried loot before it scurried off to climb the nearest tree. 

Lucy shifted, yawning as she also sat up and he was able to lift his arm and attempt to rub some feeling back into it, the tingling sharp needles of the blood rushing back to it a welcome pain.

Rufus rolled over rather dramatically, with a huff, before sitting up himself.

“I’m starving. Sucks that there isn’t a Denny’s or a IHOP around here, huh?” 

“You’re about 70 years too soon for that, Rufus,” Lucy teased, as she pushed the blankets back and stood up.

“Wow, camping is intense,” Rufus joked as he shook loose the leaves that had blown all over him during the night and started folding up his blanket. “Get it? _In tents?_ Well it doesn’t really work here but there isn’t a pun for under blankets.” 

Wyatt shook his head at Rufus’s lame joke, as he pushed himself up from the ground, retrieved his gun from the blanket and holstered it. 

Rufus jumped up and down, rubbing his hands briskly over his arms encased in coat sleeves, “That’s it, next trip we bring extra clothes in the Lifeboat. I’m sick to death of being cold.” 

“You can’t expect the fire to burn all night, we didn’t feed it anymore wood. Just like if we don’t feed you, you kinda get in a bad mood and don’t want to do anything strenuous.” Lucy winked at Rufus, who grumbled as he walked off to do his business. 

“It’s true,” Wyatt admitted and Lucy smiled at him. Her chignon from the day before was mussed with the hair sticking up on one side and a leaf sticking out the other. 

Wyatt chuckled as he came closer. Lucy watched him with interest but didn’t say anything when he stepped right up to her and picked the leaf out of her curls. 

“Thank you,” Lucy whispered, the quiet of the morning barely disturbed by the chirping of birds and the rustle of other woodland creatures going about their daily lives. 

Wyatt wasn’t sure what besides the quiet made the moment seem so intimate. He didn’t think that being close to her could stir up such a reaction in him, but the careful way he brushed her hair back from her face was definitely not something he would do for just any coworker. 

Lucy’s expression softened and Wyatt realized that her look from last night had not been exaggerated by the firelight, it looked just the same in the daylight and he was _screwed_. 

Rufus’s cough echoed as he came into the clearing and Wyatt turned around to pick up the blanket he and Lucy had slept under. _Back to business, Wyatt. You can’t let anything distract you. Focus on the mission, only the mission._

Wyatt waited for Lucy to walk into the trees before he picked up the stack of folded blankets and placed them back inside the Lifeboat.

“So…” Rufus sidled up to him, a small twig between his teeth, “you two looked _cozy_ this morning.” 

“Rufus, I don’t have time for this,” Wyatt turned around to start kicking dirt onto the embers left by the fire. 

“Wyatt, come on, Lucy’s not even back yet.” Rufus turned around and leaned his back against the ring of the Lifeboat. 

“ _And_ … I’m not going to talk about this and I’m _definitely_ not going to talk about her behind her back especially when she could come back any second. How long do you think it takes to pee?” 

Rufus looked offended at Wyatt’s brusqueness but he was more than likely used to it after so many months. He hadn’t been the best of company back in the French soldier’s camp but neither had Rufus. His incessant complaining had grated on Wyatt’s nerves, and he swore he could still hear it when he was back home trying to catch some semblance of rest before their next mission turned their world upside down, _again_.

Lucy came back into the clearing with her hands shoved in her pockets and her shoulders hunched up around her ears. She walked over to them but didn’t try to cuddle up to him like she had the night before leaving Wyatt faintly disappointed.

“What are we going to do about breakfast anyways?” She asked, her nose already bright pink from the brisk wind that blew through the clearing, rustling the leaves and sending them swirling around them, “I’m getting hungry too.” 

Wyatt rested his hands on his hips, thankful for the gloves that kept his hands from being as cold as the rest of him, “I guess we’ll have to go back into town. Maybe we can get Wilbur’s boardinghouse to feed us.”

“Hey, I don’t care who has the food as long as they’re willing to share, or we can pay, I just want to eat.” Rufus added as he started walking off, leaving Wyatt and Lucy to follow. Despite the complaints he had the night before about not knowing where they were going, Rufus headed off in the right direction. Maybe his trek to the Lifeboat the day before, in search of them, had given him a better idea of which direction to go in because he never wavered.

Wyatt walked alongside Lucy, his hands shoved into his pants pockets as they weaved through the trees. He worried their continuous presence in the town might start to become suspicious and resolved to find a better place for them to hunker down than the Lifeboat clearing. He had never been given explicit instructions about staying near the Lifeboat and they had spent time away from it before so he assumed it was the best plan. He just hoped that Flynn wouldn’t become aware of where the time machine was hidden, 1913 was leagues better than 1754 but he still didn’t want to be stuck in the past. 

“Wyatt?” Lucy asked, when they made it to the track that would lead them to the boardinghouse, “What are you thinking about?” 

“Hmm, oh, nothing much. I was just thinking that we should probably find someplace else to sleep tonight. If the weather tonight is as bad as it was last night… I really don’t want to be stuck out in it. No offense.”

“Why would I take offense?” Lucy laughed lightly, “I didn’t choose the weather.”

“Um, well, I just meant, that it wasn’t you— that is, it’s not that I was afraid to sleep next to you or whatever. You would have frozen if we hadn’t slept like that…” Wyatt trailed off. He knew he was making a mess of things and maybe keeping his mouth shut was the best option.

“It’s fine, Wyatt. Why would I think you were afraid to sleep next to me, you already did.” Lucy crooked an eyebrow at him.

 _Oh God_ , Wyatt thought to himself, _I’ve never had this problem before… Why do I keep sticking my foot in my mouth?_

“Hey,” Rufus’s voice echoed as he called back to them, “Do you guys want to keep moving along or are you going to stand there staring at each other all morning?” 

Wyatt felt relief flood through him at the interruption and turned to catch up to Rufus who was about five feet in front of them. He felt kind of bad about leaving Lucy behind but he had to escape that conversation or he would really mess things up between them. _Not that he would give away any of his feelings if he kept talking. He was only concerned about their friendship anyways. Everything was fine._

————

They paused before they got to the boardinghouse door, watching as Lucy came up the road, barely avoiding another trip into a frozen ditch when a horse and buggy narrowly missed her. She glared at the driver who hadn’t even noticed her and stomped up to them.

“Stupid man, couldn’t he see I was right there! If this wasn't 1913 he would be getting a piece of my mind and it wouldn’t be polite Lucy either.”

Wyatt shot an amused look at Rufus who looked like he was about to laugh. They stepped back to allow Lucy to proceed them into the entryway before following behind her and closing the door on the noises of a small, twentieth century town waking up to another day.

The entryway walls were papered with a flamboyant cabbage rose wallpaper and dark, brooding daguerreotypes of someone’s relatives hung on the wall across from the door. The common area to their right was populated with a few gentlemen who sat in overstuffed armchairs reading newspapers and one elderly woman who sat at a shining secretary desk writing correspondence. When she heard the click of the door shutting she stood and walked over to them.

Her purple long sleeve dress was flounced across the bottom, a dark hair brooch rested in the hollow of her throat and she wore black lace gloves on hands that she held clasped in front of her. 

Wyatt assumed she was a widow and probably the owner of the boardinghouse. She gave Lucy a curt look when she noticed the men’s pants and coat, her face turning to a scandalous sneer when her gaze landed on Lucy’s high heeled women's shoes.

Lucy glared right back but kept her mouth shut when the woman spoke, “Hello, I’m Miss Theodora Dalrymple, the proprietress here. What can I do for you, gentleman?” 

The back of Wyatt’s neck burned from this woman’s callous treatment of Lucy but he couldn’t say anything because they needed her to like them so she would let them come and visit with her newest boarder, Wilbur Wright. Rufus seemed the least perturb by the woman’s attitude but he was probably more astonished that she actually had addressed him, the black man in the room and ignored a fellow white woman.

“Actually Ms. Dalrymple, _we_ myself and Wyatt,” Rufus gestured to Wyatt with one hand, “were here last night visiting Wilbur Wright. We were wondering how he was doing. He told us to come back to see him this morning.”

Theodora looked them over, her eyes squinted suspiciously over half lenses, but she called for the maid that had been attending Wilbur the night before and she admitted that they had been visiting him. 

Her face changed completely after hearing the news and she ushered them into the common area. She cleared her throat quietly and the men all stood up and filed out the front door like perfect gentleman, their folded newspapers held under their arms like jousting lances. 

Rufus gave Lucy a confused look, mouthing _weird_ behind Theodora’s back as they sat down, but she shrugged her shoulders, just as confused as the rest of them. Wyatt stood behind them conscious of his back being exposed to any intruders who might come through the door but he couldn’t be rude and prowl the room like he wanted.

“Such a sad business with the Wright Brothers,” she sighed heavily as she removed her spectacles and set them on the desk behind her. 

“Oh, of course,” Lucy spoke up, her hands placed in her lap just so and her ankles crossed perfectly, maybe her attempt at endearing the woman to her despite the tenseness of their first meeting, “such a terrible ending for poor Orville.”

Lucy’s voice trembled and she dropped her head for a moment before continuing on, “But at least he passed doing what he loved most, flying.”

She turned her head to glance at Wyatt, a teardrop glistening on her cheek and he reached forward to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. He rubbed his thumb across her shoulder blade, all thoughts of the mission and Flynn dissipating at the thought of her pain. Theodora looked concerned at Lucy’s emotional response and pulled her personal handkerchief from her sleeve to give to Lucy.

“I’m sorry. Did you know him well?” Theodora asked, politely.

“Well, I uh—“ Lucy started coughing violently, and Wyatt felt a twinge of concern. _Had she gotten sick already? He knew he should have gotten her into warmer clothes sooner_ , he thought, until he realized she was faking it so she wouldn’t have to answer the question. 

“Actually, ma’am,” Wyatt cleared his throat, and stretched the truth a little, “we could really go for something to eat right about now. We also lost our luggage and had to sleep outside last night.” 

“Oh my! You should have come to me last night,” Theodora eyed Lucy as if suddenly realizing that she had slept outside with two men. Wyatt had to do something about her preconceived notions about Lucy, but he cringed inwardly at what he was about to say. Jessica was his wife, _damn it_ , no matter how intriguing and beautiful Lucy was.

“My wife and I,” Wyatt nodded at Lucy, who looked shocked for a moment before she schooled her features, “and our friend just wanted to visit the seashore. Ridiculous, I know. It’s the middle of December, and the water is freezing but I read somewhere in the newspaper that it can actually be good for your health, um, for your constitution.”

Theodora looked sceptical but after glancing over Lucy’s outlandish outfit one more time, she seemed to decide that they were just odd young people in need of some help because she called for the maid to notify the cook to fix them something to eat. Rufus almost groaned with excitement before turning it into a cough after Wyatt nudged him with a knuckle to the shoulder blade. 

The maid murmured something into Theodora’s ear and she stood up quickly to follow her across the room, a whispered conversation followed before the maid left for the kitchen.

“Goodness gracious,” Theodora came gliding over, her skirt rustling against the carpet, “Come into the kitchen where it’s warmer. I hope you all aren’t coming down with something.” 

“Thank you,” Wyatt nodded politely, letting Rufus lead the way as he placed a possessive hand on Lucy’s lower back. Lucy looked like she wanted to say something but Wyatt shushed her with a look. She glared right back which he took to mean that they would talk about this later. He wanted to snort with amusement, already feeling like he was married with that exchange of looks. 

The kitchen was significantly warmer than the common area, with the oven and the bricks of the fireplace exuding heat like hot rocks in a sauna and Rufus almost immediately walked up to it to warm his hands while Wyatt pulled a chair out to allow Lucy to sit at the kitchen table. He sat down in the chair next to hers, grateful for the warmth, his shirtsleeves not doing very much to keep him warm.

Rufus sighed as he sat down. The cook came bustling over with three bowls in hand and set them down before each of them, silver spoons came next which seemed incongruous next to the ceramic bowls that their breakfast sat in. 

Wyatt tucked in almost immediately, hardly coming up for air until he noticed the wary looks that Lucy and Rufus gave their bowls.

“What’s the matter?” He asked, wiping his mouth on the cloth that the bustling cook had handed him with the spoon. 

“What is it?” Lucy asked, poking her grits with the edge of the spoon like she was trying to dissect it.

“Grits. You’ve never had grits before?”

“Well, no,” Lucy answered, letting the steaming yellowish white glop drop back down into her bowl. 

Rufus stared at Wyatt like he had just asked him to eat garbage out of the trash. 

“There’s nothing wrong with grits, it’s a Southern staple. It’s basically ground corn like those corn cakes we ate back at The Alamo except instead of fried it’s cooked with milk or water and butter. It’s good.” 

“If you say so.” Rufus mumbled but his stomach growled even louder as the fragrant steam curled up and he put a bite in his mouth. Thankfully, the cook was able to satisfy Rufus’s need for a recognizable breakfast with a plate of country ham and biscuits with a side of homemade apricot jam. 

“Whew, I could take a nap right here,” Rufus exclaimed as he sat back in his chair, the bowl in front of him empty except for a few biscuit crumbs. 

Lucy barely nodded her head in agreement, her eyes were so heavy from  
her full stomach and the warmth of the room. Wyatt wrapped an arm around her shoulders before she could collapse into her bowl and pulled her closer so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. _No big deal, right?_ He tried to convince himself that what he was feeling wasn’t anything more than friendly but every minute that passed had him wondering if he was only fooling himself.

Rufus gave him a smug look across the table and Wyatt gave into his juvenile urge to kick him in the shins.

“Ouch, Wyatt!” Rufus jerked from the force of Wyatt’s kick and rammed his knee into the table causing their dishes to clatter and wake Lucy up. 

“What on earth?” Lucy exclaimed, blinking her eyes owlishly, “Is it an earthquake?” 

“No, Lucy, we’re in North Carolina remember?” Wyatt rubbed a hand up and down her arm before leaning forward to rest his crossed arms on the table.

“Oh, yeah,” Lucy pushed her bangs behind her ears, starting once again when the back door slammed open.

Wyatt’s hand immediately went to his gun but the intruder was merely a twelve year old boy with floppy curls and freckled cheeks, his suspenders hanging half off his shoulders and his shirt untucked as he rushed to the cook’s side.

Wyatt stood abruptly, the chair legs squealing against the floor, and walked over to the boy who was rambling about a stranger in town who had been asking a lot of weird questions in the saloon the night before. 

“Excuse me, uh— son? What did this man look like? Did you get a description?” 

The boy looked shell shocked for a minute, making Wyatt regret his abruptness but if the stranger was who he thought then they were in more trouble than he originally thought. The world’s first historic flight was — _had been?_ — a big deal and Flynn messing with something as significant as that…. _well_ , Wyatt didn’t even want to think about the consequences that their present would incur unless they fixed it. 

“Um, well, my friend Tommy’s older brother said that he sounded European and we never get visitors here much less, fancy talkers like that.” 

Wyatt turned to glance back at Rufus and Lucy who stood back by the kitchen table, their sleepy expressions now alert with concern and anger. 

“Thank you. You don’t know how much you just helped us.” Wyatt rested a hand on the boy’s shoulder for a moment before he turned back to his team. He crossed the plank floor to head for the door but Theodora was suddenly there blocking the doorway, her figure tall despite her age. 

“Where are you going?” she asked, her hands clasped serenely in front of her, “Weren’t you going to speak to Wilbur?”

“Yes, actually we were,” Lucy spoke up, as she came striding to Wyatt’s side and grasped him by the arm, “Would you mind showing us the way?” 

“Of course.”

Theodora lead the way down the short hallway that was papered with the same wallpaper as the entryway and up the stairs, their footfalls softened by green carpet that ran down the hallway that led to Wilbur’s room. 

She rapped softly and a faint ‘come in’ could be heard from the other side of the door that she opened efficiently before ushering them inside.

Wyatt’s thoughts should have been on Wilbur’s health and the news about Flynn being seen in the town but instead all he could focus on was Lucy who continued to hold onto his arm as they stood by his bedside. Her small hand burned through his shirtsleeve like a glowing brand that the chilly bedroom couldn’t extinguish. 

Wyatt forced his thoughts into line but didn’t pull away from Lucy. Theodora needed to believe they were a married couple and the only way to convince her was to act like a couple. _Not quite as easy as it looks on television_ , Wyatt thought to himself. 

Theodora stood in the corner watching them like a hawk and Wyatt wished she would be called away on some other errand so they could actually get down to business. Wilbur needed to know that their plane had been sabotaged and that the culprit was more than likely very close. Closer than was comfortable for Wyatt. 

“Hello, Mr. Wright. How are you?” Rufus asked, crouching down next to his bedside so that he wouldn’t have to crane his neck to look up at him. 

“As well as can be expected... Rufus, was it?”

“Yes, I’m Rufus. You remember Wyatt, too? He was here last night with me and this is Lucy, Wyatt’s wife.” 

Wyatt wanted to kick Rufus, like he had earlier, for being so forthright about it but it’s not like he could say any different with the boardinghouse proprietress breathing down their necks.

“Hello,” Lucy moved closer, releasing Wyatt’s arm in the process and leaving him feeling a strange mélange of disappointment and relief, “I was so sorry to hear about your accident, sir.”

“That’s very kind of you, madam,” Wilbur replied, his voice faintly trembling, but Wyatt couldn’t tell if he was emotional or if his morphine medication was kicking in again. _Damn it, we need the man lucid so we can talk with him._

The sounds of shouting and fists flying reached them from the lower level and the proprietress muttered an oath as she left the room, the silent maid scurrying after her leaving them alone with Wilbur, _finally_.

Wyatt crossed the room to the door and closed it, the sounds of the fight happening downstairs muffled by the thickness of the wood and giving them a modicum of peace to talk through their plan. 

“Mr. Wright, we wanted to talk to you about the accident. Looks like it may have been sabotage after all.”

Wilbur stared at them with mouth ajar, “Do you mean that this accident... it could have been avoided.”

“I’m not so sure you could have avoided it,” Lucy interrupted, “this, this— man, he’s dangerous. We’ve encountered him before and he isn’t one to give up easily. He could have come after you and your brother after the flight if it had been successful.” 

“Why would he want to do this? To kill my brother…? Who is this man?” Wilbur looked frantically between the three of them, seeking answers and reasons.

“We don’t know why,” Rufus spoke up from his place by the single window, “He has had some similar misfortunes in his past and we think that is what drives him, but the why... You would have to ask him that question.” 

Wilbur furrowed his brow staring down at the coverlet, a tear dropped off the tip of his nose and landed on the pale blanket, leaving a dark splotch on the pristine cloth. Lucy turned entreating eyes to Wyatt. He sighed, leaning a shoulder against the door jamb as he thought.

“We can’t do anything about Orville’s death but we can help you get that plane back up in the air and help you finish the work your brother started.” 

Wyatt crossed to Rufus’s side hoping a show of solidarity would convince Wilbur to trust them. He caught sight of the old barn, out of the window, back behind the residence and he suddenly got an idea. 

Lucy straightened up, the door that Wyatt had just been standing in front of, opened and Ms. Dalrymple came through. 

“Sorry about that gentlemen, Mr. Wright, madam,” Theodora nodded at them all in turn, “My boarders can get rowdy at times, especially after a late night spent at the saloon.” 

“That’s quite alright.” Lucy smiled, her expression dropping when Wyatt butted in.

“Ms. Darlymple! Just the woman I wanted to see,” Wyatt poured on the charm as he stepped up to her. He knew that his blue eyes could work toward making many a girl, or woman, do what he wanted. Not that he had ever had occasion or the wish to persuade many but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Wyatt wrapped an arm around her bony shoulders as he led her toward the window. Lucy gaped at him, she had probably never seen him like this, except for his horrible attempt at changing Nonhelema’s mind about killing them. 

“Is that your barn out there?” Wyatt asked, turning his head to glance at Theodora, whose blue eyes were bright and her cheeks pink as a girl’s.

“Oh yes, well, it was my late husband’s. His collie’s were his pride and joy and he bred and raised them out of that barn. I just use it for storage now. Why do you ask?”

Wyatt turned to glance back out the window when he caught sight of a tall, dark man edging around the corner of the house. 

“It’s him!” Wyatt shouted, pulling his gun, as he whirled around and ran for the door.


End file.
